Karnival of Kefka
by TheDarkSaxPlaya
Summary: I refuse to do a summary, as it takes away from the story. R&R Chapter 3 Up
1. Default Chapter

            I guess I have to do a disclaimer or something, so here goes: I don't own the rights or anything like that to Nintendo, squaresoft, sony, or final fantasy 3/6.

That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still unpleasant, and I'm feeling the repercussions of the whole experience. ^_^

I sit in my personal prison. I am trapped here for eternity, and I want to be free. In the void I am trapped. Trapped in the depths of the space-time merge. Time is immeasurable, so I don't know how long I've been trapped in the void. All around me is nothing that expands forever. The landscape is featureless, and is drained of all color. I am the only being here, and am the only one with any expression of color. But color fades, and so will I. The great powers I once had, are diminishing, and once they are gone, I might as well be gone too…

                                                *                      *                      *

            I awoke with a start, my heart beating fast in my chest. What a peculiar dream. I thought to myself. I sat up, and yawned. I was tired, but I knew it would be a little while before I would actually sleep again that night. I quietly got out of bed, making sure not to awaken Terra. I crept out to the balcony at the very top of my castle, making sure to grab my jacket before heading out into the cold night. I slipped my jacket on over my thin nightshirt. 

I looked at my kingdom, recently rebuilt after we imprisoned Kefka in the Void. The sleeping city spread out before me remained silent and tranquil. The peaceful sereneness of my sleeping kingdom brought soothing thoughts into my head. A breeze flowed by, and I gazed at the thousands of stars, as I zipped up my jacket. I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned around.

"Edgar?" came the sweet voice of my wife, Terra.

            "Yes, dear?" I replied, although I knew what her next question would be.

            "Why are you out here in the middle of the night?" She questioned.

            "I had a disturbing dream. I'm sorry if I woke you. You can go back to bed if you want, but I'm going to be out here for a little while longer."

            She walked up beside me, and leaned against the railing; also looking down at the sleeping city.  The moon peeked out between the clouds, and illuminated the planet. I looked over at my darling wife, and I noticed that she was shivering from the breeze, so I took off my jacket, and wrapped it around her shoulders. She looked grateful, and stopped shivering. Another breeze came and went, leaving me cold, but I refused to admit it openly.

            "What was your dream about, dear?"

            "That's what was so strange about it. There wasn't anything there. It was all white, and no color. I just know that I didn't want to be there, and that I was trapped, and would find a way out. Anyway, I know that you must be tired, what with you training all of the soldiers in the use of magic. So I'll let you get back to sleep."

            "Are you sure you're alright? You really seem to be perturbed about this. I've never seen you express worry about anything like this. Even the night before we battled Kefka, you seemed to not express any concern."

            "I'm fine now, and I think that I will return to bed with you. We both have busy days tomorrow."

            "That's right, we do need our sleep. Tomorrow, you unite all the peoples under the flag of Figaro."

            "That is true, and tomorrow, you are showing the soldiers how to summon Espers."

            "That I am, dear. However, only the best soldiers will get that lesson, because it is such a draining activity."

            "You're not like any girl I've ever met before, are you?" I said as I embraced her in a hug and kissed her forehead. Her green eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

            She smiled and giggled, "I guess I'm just different from the others."

            "Yes, but that's what makes you special."

            She nodded sleepily, and I led her down the spiraling staircase with my arm around her shoulders. We arrived back into the fire-warmed room, and Terra removed my jacket, and hung it on the hook where it usually hung. She climbed into bed, while I placed another log into the fireplace, and sat down in my chair. I stared into the fire, drifting in and out of consciousness for an hour or so.

            Finally I decided to climb into bed. I stood up from my chair, and walked quietly to our bed. Terra was already fast asleep; her blonde hair sprawled across her pillow. She was snoring softly, and looked very peaceful. I carefully climbed into the sheets, trying, once again, not to disturb my soulmate. She did seem to notice that I was there, though, and curled up next to me, her head resting on my chest.

            I brushed the hair from her face, and just stared at her beautiful visage; thinking of how lucky I was. I always thought that I had a way with the ladies, but Terra was one of few who saw through my act. Soon enough, however, the sound of her breathing, and the warmth radiating from her body, put me to sleep…

                                                *                      *                      *

            Dawn broke through the night, and I awoke to the sounds of chirping birds and my wife, Celes, cooking breakfast. This was unusual, because, normally, she would be off helping Terra train the soldiers in magic, but perhaps today is her day off. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes as they adjusted to the light of the new day.

            I put on a robe, and walked into the kitchen. The sunlight illuminated Celes' light blonde hair, as she stood at the stove. I walked next to her to see what she was cooking. She looked surprised that I was awake.

            "Good morning Celes." I said as I kissed her cheek.

            "Good morning to you too, Locke." She said softly, returning the kiss.

            "Why aren't you down at Figaro castle helping Terra?"

            "Because, I know she can handle today's lesson on her own." Celes said while she removed the eggs from the stove, and piled them on to two plates.

            "Really? And exactly what lesson would that be?" I asked, as I pulled out silverware and glasses.

            "She's teaching the elite soldiers how to summon Espers without Magicite."

            "Is that even possible?"

            "According to Terra, it is. But apparently it takes a lot out of you."

            "Well, if anybody can do it, she can."

            We sat down to eat.

"So what do you want to do today, dear?" She asked.

            "I was going to go see Sabin and Relm."

            "Oh? I thought Relm was still living with Strago."

            "True, she was, but when Strago died, Sabin adopted her, and now I hear, that they are training a new student in hand to hand and magic combat."

            "Wow, I had no idea. "

            "Yeah. So what are you going to do with your day off?"

            "I was going to go for a walk around town, but it's been awhile since I've seen Sabin or Relm, so I'll go with you to their place."

            "Great! I'll get the Chocobos saddled up, and ready to go."

            "And I'll get a picnic lunch made for everybody. Oh, and do make sure you wash the Chocobos, they haven't had a bath in a while."

            "Ok, just be sure to pack enough food, you remember how much Sabin eats."

            "Ugh, how could I forget?"

            And with a last peck on the cheek, I left her to make the picnic, while I headed out to wash the Chocobos. I searched the pasture where we kept our Chocobos, Bo (mine) and Adeline (Celes'). They both ran up to me, and warked loudly. They were expecting some kind of treat, which normally I gave them, but today would be different. I climbed into the pen, and started walking towards the stable. Naturally Bo and Adeline followed, because they were expecting a treat of some sort.

             I reached the stable, threw open the doors, and led them in. I quickly strapped down their feet, so I wouldn't get hurt when I cleaned them. At about this time, the Chocobos realized they were getting bathed, and started to panic. They struggled, but their leg straps held them in place.

            I brought over a bucket of soapy water, a cloth, a brush, and the hose. I turned on the water, and rinsed Adeline off first, then Bo. I scrubbed their feathers with the cloth and soapy water. I then rinsed each of them off again, watching the filthy water run off of their golden feathers. I turned the water off, wrapped the hose back up, and emptied the bucket. 

            I returned to dry off Bo and Adeline, but was, instead, greeted by a barrage of water droplets as they shook themselves dry. They were not happy birds, and warked at me very loudly. I reached into a bag, and fed each one an apple, and that settled them down while I put on their saddles. I removed their straps, and led them to the front of the house, and tied them up there for the time being. I brushed them until Celes came out, carrying a gigantic basket for our picnic.

            "I see you had fun, dear." She laughed. She did have good reason to laugh, though. I was soaked with water and dirt.

            "Well, they put up quite a fight, but they are ready and clean." I pouted

            "You did a find job, Locke." She said as she kissed me gently.

            "Well," I said as I climbed on to Bo's saddle. "Let's get going, we have a fairly long trip ahead of us!"

                                                *                      *                      *

I quickly grabbed my dress coat, and threw it over my shoulders. I dashed out the door, without so much as a second glance at the clock. I knew I was about to be late, but it didn't matter. She wouldn't care so much. But I did. I was going to ask for her hand in marriage, and, I wanted to make sure she didn't think I would always be late.

            I hopped onto my horse, and rode off towards town. I didn't understand why people rode on those accursed Chocobos, but they just weren't for me. I preferred the good old-fashioned horse.

            I rode quietly through the fields, and eventually found the town where my love lived. I raced through the streets, searching for the restaurant. In finding it, I tied Lightning (my horse) to the post, and rushed inside. I scanned the faces at the tables, and quickly found mine. I ran there, and sat down across from my sweetheart.

            "Please excuse me, I was running a bit behind schedule."

            "Oh, Cyan, it's alright, now that you're here. Besides, I just sat down."

            "Oh, Lola, you make me so happy." I swooned.

            "Cyan, you've made me feel happier than I ever thought I could. You really are a blessing in disguise."

            "I am very happy to now how you feel, Lola, because I have something I have been wanting to ask you." I knelt down in front of her, and took her hand in mine. She trembled in anticipation, knowing what was coming.

            "Lola," I started, "You, alone, have proven to me that there is hope and love left in this world. The kindness you showed me, even after I lied about being your boyfriend, amazed me. You truly are a wondrous gift from God, himself, and everyday, I thank Him that you bless my life. Will you give me your hand in marriage?"

            "Cyan, you are the most important person in the world to me. And, I must admit, that when I found out you were masquerading as my first boyfriend, I was hurt. However, your letters were so full of hope and love, so I knew you must have been through hardships as well. But that's all in the past, and this is the present, so yes, I will marry you!"

            "You have no idea how happy you've just made me, Lola." I gushed as I slipped a ring onto her slender finger. I stood up, and beaconed her to do the same. She did, and we strode out of the restaurant, arm in arm. The restaurant owner didn't even seem to mind that we had just used a table without ordering anything, or paying him.

            We walked down to the corner of the street, where I had previously arranged for a carriage to pick us up. I held Lola's hand while I helped her get in, and I climbed in after her. The carriage began to move towards its destination, which was unknown to Lola.

            "Cyan," she started.

            "Yes, my sweet?"

            "Where exactly are we going?" She asked, looking a bit confused.

            "We're going to Kind Edgar, so we can be married by his priests." I smiled.

            "Really? Already? What would you have done if I had said no?" She pressed.

            "Oh Lola, I knew you would not have said no. And should you have said no, I would have ridden to my home on my horse."

            "You rode your horse here? Will he be alright until we get back?"

            "Nonsense, I untied him as we walked out the door, and he knows the way home."

            By this time, the carriage was nearing Figaro Castle. The bright afternoon sun illuminated the castle's tall turrets, giving the castle an ominous look. The carriage pulled up to the front gates, and we stepped out. I suddenly became aware of how few people there were guarding the gates.

            "Ready, Lola?" I asked anxiously.

            "Yes, Cyan." She answered strongly.

            We walked through the castle, and straight to the Throne Room. I was very surprised to see an enormous congregation of people encircling the expanse of the room. We quietly entered, and moved through the crowd so we could see what was going on. We saw Edgar and the other kings from the kingdoms, all sitting around a table. Edgar stood up, and began to speak:

            "Today surely is a day which will be forever remembered. On this day, all the kingdoms of our planet are bound together under Figaro's flag. Today, we establish a new government, in which the current kings, including I, become equal members in a council. Our council will look at issues, and vote to bring them to a peaceful resolution!" 

            He finished, and signed the document, which would forever unite the world. He then passes the document to the other six kings, and watched as they signed as well. They passed the declaration back to Edgar, and he mounted it onto a plaque. Everybody cheered, and Lola and I embraced each other in a hug.

            "Cyan?" I heard above the crowd's noise. "Is that you Cyan?"

            I turned to see who was calling me, and was greeted by the great king himself.

            "Cyan, it is you!" He exclaimed. "How have you been? Who's that?" He asked pointing at Lola.

            "I am well, Edgar. It's been quite quiet at my new homestead. Oh, and this lovely flower, is my fiancé, Lola. We're here to be wed."

            "Is that so? I didn't think you would be married again after you lost your wife and child."

            "True, but I've never been happier since I've met Lola."

            "Pleased to meet you, Lola." Edgar stopped shortly, and looked harder at Lola. "You're that girl that Cyan was writing to, a year back, right?"

            "Yes I am." She said softly, blushing a little.

            "Well, I do believe that our royal priest is here today, so you two are in luck!" Edgar said, beaming at us.

            "Thank you very much, King Edgar." Lola replied.

            "Please, any friend of Cyan, or rather wife in this case, can just call me Edgar! Now, let's get you two married."

                                                *                      *                      *

            The startling pain in my side told me to wake up, but I was going to ignore it. It persisted, and eventually, I succumbed to the pain, and woke up. My eyes quickly dilated to the intense sunlight.

            "What do you want now?" I whined.

            "We have company." Relm said weakly

            "We haven't had anybody to visit in years, why would they come now?"

            "I dunno, but you should at least wake up! They are more your friends, not mine!"

            "Alright, I'll wake up, but you do know you can just gently poke me awake, right?"

            "Yes I do, but you never wake up that way, and you know it!"

            She pouted, and went off to her room. I sat up and stretched. _Stupid kid, waking me up from my nap, I thought. __And I can't get too bad. Her grandpa did die after all. I'm not sure why she chose to come live with me. Terra and Edgar both live in their castle, and I live here in my little hut in the middle of nowhere._

            Besides, it was good that I woke up. It was almost time for Nikki's training, and she doesn't like to be stalled any more than need be. I stood up, and remembered that Relm had said that some of my friends had come to visit. I changed into my slightly nicer clothes. Any friend of mine would care less what condition my clothes were in. _Oh well, I don't want to anger Relm too much. She might paint my picture!_ I almost broke out in laughter at that. 

            I walked through my door (left open by that eleven year old brat), and entered the living room. Sitting on the couch were Locke and Celes. I had no idea that they were together. They looked up, and saw me enter.

            "Sabin," Locke exclaimed. "You've been working out a little I see."

            "Good to see you too, Locke. Still thieving?" 

            "Hey, stop it!" Celes protested. "I don't want to see a fight break out here. Also, I don't want to see Locke get hurt!" 

            "Oh, now you're against me?" Locke complained. "I see how it is. I will leave you two alone."

            "Oh stop it, you big baby! You know I wouldn't do that!"

            Relm came in, carrying some kind of cake on a tray. "Have as much as you want, but leave some for me, you big pig!" That last part was devoted to me.

            "Don't worry, I'm you've had more than your share of your cake. After all, you are the cook!"

            She giggled, "All that means, is that you don't know what I put in your dinners!"

            With that she left to return to the kitchen. Suddenly, a loud shriek came from outside. I ran out to see what caused it. Of course it was Nikki, but I had to see what she was screaming at this time. Now, there sounded like a fight going on outside. Behind me, Locke and Celes had decided to stand up and followed me outside.

            By this time, Nikki had stopped screaming, and was emitting very high-pitched squeaks. We quickly found her, and I almost died of laughter right there. The Chocobos that Locke and Celes had ridden to get here were putting up a great fight. Nikki had never seen a Chocobo before, and that was apparent, because they are usually tame creatures. However, Nikki must have startled them badly, because they both had her pinned down to the ground. One held her legs, and the other had her arms. They were warking in victory, and looked very proud of themselves. 

            "Guys, meet my pupil, Nikki."

            "Could I get a little help here?!?" Nikki cried out.

            Locke and Celes moved towards their feathery pets, but I stopped them.

            "Trust me when I say that they won't hurt her." I said to them. To Nikki, I offered her some wise words of wisdom, "Next time, look before you attack. You should have seen that they were tied up, and could barely move! You know how to get out of this. Remember, I taught you how."

            "I would use your method you lazy bum, but Relm's would be much easier."

            "Oh fine!" I became angry. "I don't care how you get out of this. Just do it, but do it fast, or else those Chocobos are going to think that they can do anything, then nothing will stop them from going wild!"

            Nikki struggled greatly. She tried to push them away, but they had her pinned down pretty good. She then tried to kick them, but with her legs pinned, she couldn't move. Then she tried using a bit of magic (no doubt taught to her by Relm).But that didn't work, because she wasn't focused enough to do anything. She looked at me with pleading eyes, and I chose to ignore her.

            "Please, help me!" She cried out.

            Once again, Locke and Celes motioned to help her, but I said, "No, she won't need help. She got herself into this mess, and now she must get herself out!"

            They looked worried, and Relm decided to see what the ruckus was, and put in her two cents, "She won't get hurt, I promise, she'll be fine." She said merrily.

            Locke seemed to not care a lot, but Celes was looking extremely worried.

            "Celes," I started. "Trust me; she will live to see another day."

            Of course she started laugh. Then she started to laugh even harder, which began to annoy me.

            "What's so funny?" I asked with a hint of anger in my voice.

            "I'm not worried about her, you muscle-head! I'm worried about my Chocobo. I raised that from an egg!"

            "How did you ever get a Chocobo egg? Those things are not found these days!" I questioned.

            "Well, it was a gift from Cid for Locke's and mine wedding. He gave one to Locke too."

            "Anyway, I said. Let's head back in. I'm starving!"

            "I'm sure you are!" Locke exclaimed. "It's only been a few minutes since you last ate!" I became angry, and I could feel my face starting to flush, and he continued, "Jeez, you don't have to look so angry. Anyway, Celes packed a picnic lunch in exchange for us dropping by unexpectedly."

            "Good. That's much better than Relm's awful cooking!"

            Relm pouted, and we headed inside. Nikki was still struggling with her feathery captors, but we ignored her pleas for help. Celes did an excellent job in preparing lunch. She packed almost everything I liked, and the best part was that Relm was disgusted by the amount of food I ate.

            "YOU!!!"

            I turned around to see a distraught Nikki standing in the doorway. She looked very dirty, and extremely angry.

            "Why didn't you help me, you lazy bum?" She asked curtly.

            "Well," I began to respond. "You looked like you were having so much fun with the Chocobos, that I felt it would be wrong of me to spoil your good time. Especially since you don't get much of a chance to be a kid anymore."

            She began to calm down, but still looked like she needed a bath. She began to sit down, but immediately jumped up, and started to look around.

            "Nikki," Celes said. "What are you looking for?"

            "Well, I was wondering where the food was. While those wretched creatures were pinning me down, I heard that somebody brought a picnic. It sure would be nice to eat something besides Relm's awful cooking."

            We all laughed, and Relm began to radiate waves of pure hatred towards us. Locke pointed out the table with the food, and Nikki dove right in.

            "Jeez, Sabin," Celes said. "She eats like you. It's a wonder she doesn't choke."

            "Well, the training she goes through, it more than tough enough, and it doesn't help that she has no choice but to eat Relm's terrible cooking." I explained

            "All right!" Relm screamed. "I guess I won't be cooking for you guys anymore!"

            "You're free to leave at any time." I said.

            "I am?"

            "Of course, we don't really need to have a 'cook,' we can hunt for ourselves."

            "Uhh…" Was all she could muster as a response.

            "That's what I thought."

                        *                                  *                                  *

            A freezing breeze blew past me, and I knew it was time to retire to my room. I left the airship on autopilot, and quietly crept into the door. The Falcon (this airship's former owner named it this), ran quietly, allowing for sleep during flight.

            I found my way down the fairly wide corridors, and slipped past the rooms where Gau and Mog slumbered. I made sure that I didn't disturb Umaro, as he can be a very unruly beast when awoken by anybody besides Mog. I found my bedroom, and entered. I turned on a lamp, and walked to my desk (it was bolted to the floor, for turbulence reasons), and took a seat. 

            I was tired, but I could not sleep. Not tonight, anyway. This night was special. I quietly opened the squeaky drawer with no avail. The squeak was sure to disturb somebody. I pulled out the secret compartment, and took out the tattered book, as I've done every year at this time.

            I looked at the book, and the memories immediately came flooding back to me. All the good times we had. Every moment, a beacon of happiness of what we used to have. I stared at the book, and instantly, the pain of losing her flooded my now empty heart. 

            I opened the pages of the book, and gazed longingly at the pictures of the bright and happy couple. They looked so happy, and carefree. They did what they wanted when they wanted. Nothing brought down their spirit, and nothing should have. But it did.

            Ten years ago, when Daryl passed due to her disease, I was a changed man. Every waking moment became torture, and each mile I flew in my airship was another knife in my heart. The pain was horrible, but I knew it wouldn't last. She wouldn't have wanted it that way. But it didn't matter.

            A single tear dropped from the end of my nose, and onto the page. The page was a picture of the happiest day of my life. It was the day I proposed to her. She said yes, of course, as we were meant to be. But four hours before we were to be wed, her illness began to take effect rapidly. We both knew she was sick, but it wasn't serious. But today, it seemed fate was against us. She came to me, crawling on her hands and knees. She wanted one last ride in her airship.

            I hated to see her like this. It was very apparent that she wouldn't live to be married, so I granted her last request. I picked up her frail body, and began to walk towards her airship. She coughed, and wheezed during the walk, which only made me walk faster. Soon, we reached her airship, and I carried her aboard. I continued to carry her, as I started the engines. I continued to carry her, as we took off around the world at high speeds. I continued to carry her as she coughed harder. I even continued to carry her when she curled up in my arms, and kissed me goodbye forever. 

            I carried her until I found an appropriate place to bury her. On top of a hill, I ordered several men to dig her tomb, and paid them with money I'd won from them in various games. After a day and a half of working, they were done. I crept inside, and found the chamber where she was to be placed for the rest of time. I placed her on the pedestal, and arranged her in a dignified pose. I placed a single white Lily in her clasped hands (they were her favorite flower), and wept by her side. 

            I then spent the next few weeks, disassembling her airship, and reassembling it inside her tomb, so she could always be near it. This was no easy task, but it was a labor of love, and it was all I had left of her.

            I looked at the worn pages in the book, and remembered her smile as we raced around the world. I remembered the first time we met. That was an excellent memory; one that will never leave my mind. 

            We met in the now destroyed city of Sagev. It was of course, very hot and muggy, but everyone was there for a good time. There were card games everywhere, and dice games were being held on the streets. The best games with the highest risk were indoors, which is where I was at the time.

            I was locked in a poker game with some of the most skilled players ever to have lived (my self included, of course). After an entire night of winning a lot and losing a few, I came about my toughest game ever. The game was poker, and there were six people playing. I continued my bluffing game, and didn't lead any of the others know of my royal flush which had been dealt to me. Soon the others were folding, which left me, my soon-to-be love of my life, and the dealer. He soon folded, leaving me and Daryl to play. We continued to bet, and eventually we both ran out of money.

            She took it a step further, and bet her Chocobo. I then bet my antique clock. On and on it went like this, for well over an hour. Soon, we were down to the clothes on our backs, and our entire estates in the center of the table. Then, she wagered her airship, which prompted me to do the same. With nothing left of our fortunes, we were forced to call. At the same time, we flipped over our hands. To each of our horrors, we both had a royal flush. 

            This was a large problem for us, as we both had so much on the line. We played a quick game of high card, low card, and both drew an ace. Becoming frustrated, we each threw a pair of dice, and were awe-struck to see a score of twelve for each. This went on for the entire night, and began to eat up part of the day-time. Crowds started to surround us, as we played every game in that city, stalemating each time.

            We decided to end it as it was with one final event. We agreed on a trip around the world in our airships, to see who had the fastest. This was getting out of hand. This wasn't even about winning the other's possessions. This was about pride. We both couldn't tie. It was impossible for us to be that evenly matched.

            With our airships ready, and the wind gusting heavily, we set out. We started slowly at first, testing each other to see how the other measured up. It didn't take long for our airships to be going full throttle, and neither of us giving up at anytime soon.

            We were head to head, as we entered the last leg of the race. However, two miles before the end, a mighty gust of wind picked up. I was able to pull my ship out of the way, but Daryl was caught. I saw her ship plunge towards the ground. I raced over to her, and was devastated to find that her ship was already damaged, and she was lying on the ground in pain. 

            I landed my ship in a clearing, and hiked to where she was. As soon as I saw her, I ran to help. I picked her up into my arms, and we just stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes. I helped her onto my ship, and laid her down onto my bed. I ran to retrieve a wet cloth for her head (miraculously, she was unharmed). I returned, and she was sleeping. I still place the cloth onto her head, and sat down in my chair. I watched her sleeping and soon fell asleep myself.

            The rest is history, I mused. We were destined to be together. But fate had it in for us. I looked through the dusty tome, and eventually fell asleep, thinking of the wonderful thing I used to have, and how much she meant to me. I'll never forget her, and being in her ship reminds me of her every minute I'm awake.

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There. Chapter one is completed. I know it's a bit lengthy, and if those that review it say that it's good that way, then I'll keep the rest of them as long. If you all don't like it, say it politely. But be kind when you review, as this is my first fanfic (but not my first submission ever to a site like this –cough-fictionpress-cough-


	2. The Lost Forest

From this point on, each chapter will just be about a certain character, or group of characters. The previous chapter was just a recap on what everybody was doing, and introduced the current situations of the characters one year later.

I don't own the rights or anything like that to Nintendo, Squaresoft, Sony, or Final Fantasy 3/6.

Chapter 2 – The Void

I have been trapped here for too long. There must be a way out, but I have yet to find a way. There must be some way to escape. I just know it. I was sentenced to an eternity here. This is the focal point of where the Esper world and Human world collide. Somehow, they opened the doorway to this hellhole, and I am determined to find a way out. I can't stand to see a colorless world such as this, so I've decided to make a few changes…

                        *                      *                      *

I silently made my way through my castle to my room. The musty halls needed to be aired out from today's events and the large amount of people that were packed in. Still, the castle was in its prime, and wasn't going to be moving very much these days.

            After the Proclamation of Peace signing, the castle dove underground for the last time. It now stood where Narshe used to be (it was destroyed in a revolt after Kefka was sealed in the Void). The castle donned a new name, Narshe Castle. Of course I was a little reluctant to rename the castle, but global peace is more important than my personal feelings.

            The noise from the inside of the castle died down as I continued further. The construction crews were remodeling the throne room, in order to accommodate The Council. Soon everybody that was going to be on The Council (myself included) was going to be living here in a week.

            I continued my way through the corridors, and heard footsteps behind me. I chose to ignore them, and kept walking towards my room. The footsteps quickened their pace, and so did I. I turned down a hall to my left, and slowed down a bit. But, the steps continued. Annoyed, I turned around. The steps abruptly stopped. I stared into the eyes of none other than Terra.

            "Jeez Terra, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Why didn't you say anything?"

            "Oh Edgar," she giggled. "I'm only keeping you on your toes. I'm sorry if I scared you."

            I felt my face turn a slight shade of red. "It's alright. I'm fine. Are you coming to bed?"

            "Bed? It's only 8:30."

            "Yeah, I'm exhausted, so I'm off to bed. Goodnight." I kissed her goodnight, and headed to bed.

            With Edgar going to bed, that left me all alone. I turned and walked away. He must be really tired. He's usually up until midnight. However, with him going to bed early, I could do something that I've wanted to do for sometime.

            I quietly strolled down the castle's halls until I was outside. I found my way to the Chocobo stable, and called out to Raven, my Chocobo. I put a saddle on her, with some resistance from her end, and climbed on.

            The road was empty, and the sounds of the wildlife could be heard about. It had been so long since I've heard wildlife in the world. _I guess the world, as well as the cities, is rebuilding it-self. I thought to my-self. I continued to ride towards my destination, even as the sunlight dimmed, and the sky turned a brilliant orange-pink color._

            Upon reaching our destination, I tied Raven to a tree next to a river, so she could rest up after the journey. I hiked into the dark, secluded forest which I found one day after Kefka destroyed much of the world. I liked this forest very much, because no one knew about it. It was here that I lived for several weeks, before I decided to leave in search for some sign of civilization.

            _But this forest is different. I thought to my-self. _This forest is unique, like me. It hides many secrets, and someday, I hope to know them all._ Few knew of this forest, but I'm the only one who knows of its location. This is the Lost Forest, or rather, that's what I like to call it. Even Edgar doesn't know of it. _

            I stepped into the darkness, and Raven warked in worry.

            "Raven, I'll be fine. You just rest up, and I'll be back before you know it!" I called back to her.

            She seemed to calm down a little after that, and I continued my trek. The trees were of course very dark, because only twilight lit them. Soon, there was no light at all, but that didn't stop me. I grabbed a thick, short branch from the ground. I focused all of my thoughts on one thing, lighting the branch ablaze. At first I was worried, because nothing seemed to be happening, which led me to believe that my powers were diminishing. That stopped when the end of the branch burst into flames. Apparently, even magic fire can't catch on wet wood, so it had to dry it first.

            The flames danced on the end of my make-shift torch, thus causing their light to bounce up and down along the trees. My path was overgrown, and I had to continue by memory, rather than the visual clues. On and on I trekked, until I arrived. 

            The old cabin had been abandoned long before I set foot in the forest nearly a year ago, but it still stood. Vines were creeping up the walls, and were growing into the roof. The little stream still ran next to it, and the windows had yet to break. Even in the dark of night, the little place smelled of honeysuckle. 

            Off in the distance, a wolf howled, and I began to think of Raven. I heard a distant wark, and started to become scared for Raven. I turned back the way I came, but I could not remember which way that was. Another scared wark came, and I tried to follow its direction, but in this forest, sounds echoed about the trees. 

            A cold wind gusted from nowhere, and my torch went out. I, once again, focused my mind on lighting the branch, but nothing happened! I tried to tap into my other half, so I could use the power of my Esper half to light my way, but even that didn't work!

            I started to run wildly through the forest. Vines and branches clawed at my bare arms and legs, but that did nothing to slow me down. _If I run in one direction, I'm bound to get out at some point_. I thought to reassure my-self. So I ran for several minutes, with no luck. I turned back, and was horror stricken to find that the cottage was no more than a hundred feet behind me, its dark windows gazing at me, as though it were alive.

            I seemed to be trapped in this dark hell hole, and nothing I could do was going to let me out. I stopped for a moment to cool down after all that running. I breathed hard and loudly. After I had caught my breath, I could still hear breathing. No, not just breathing, but rhythmic breathing. Something else was in this forest with me! I listened closer, and realized that someone was chanting a mute spell throughout the forest! _That's why I could no longer use magic!_ I thought to my self. _But who's doing it, and why can't I run out of this forest?_

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

            _Yes, run around all you want. But you're mine again. And what makes you think that you're still in a forest…?_


	3. Alone Once More

Oooohhh startling stuff happening to Terra there. I wonder how that will turn out. Well, I know how it turns out, but you have to wait until it's time to tell the story from Edgar and Terra's PoV now, don't you??? *laughs maniacally and begins to choke* stupid karma…

Meh, I don't own the rights or anything like that to Nintendo, Squaresoft, Sony, or Final Fantasy 3/6.

Chapter 3 – Alone Once More

            We left Sabin's house a couple hours before sunset, and were well on our way home. Celes was exhausted. Nikki never left her alone. Once she was free from our Chocobos, she continued to cling to Celes. Celes didn't seem to mind, and even taught Nikki how to behave around Adeline and Bo.

            We helped Relm clean the dishes, and helped Sabin chop wood for a fire. Celes showed off her amazing magic skills, and put on an excellent show for everyone, though we've all seen her use magic, Nikki had never seen it, so she sat quietly for a long time.

            Nikki was busy pestering Celes and Relm was busy cleaning the house. Sabin and I snuck out to do a little fishing. We sat next to the river, and cast our lines in. we both lay back, and basked in the afternoon sun. We didn't catch anything, but when we eventually pulled our lines out, the worms were gone, and we were sunburned.

            After an hour or so, we had to say our goodbyes, and leave before it became too dark to travel. The roads were dangerous at night, and Celes and I were not in the mood to have to hurt people. Besides, when it got dark enough, the Chocobos would suddenly stop everything they were doing, and fall asleep, which meant that if we were on the road, Celes and I would be sleeping under the stars.

            Leaving early made absolutely no difference, as it turned out. The sun set quickly, bathing the landscape in darkness. Event the moon wasn't out. The refreshingly cool breeze felt good on my sunburn, and I cursed myself for falling asleep in the middle of the day.

            "Locke."

            "Yes, Celes?"

            "Wanna race home?" she challenged.

            "When don't I?"

            We stopped at the edge of a wide meadow. She counted to three, and we both urged our Chocobos to run faster. Adeline certainly began to speed up. Bo, being the laziest out of the two refused to go any faster than he wanted, and it wasn't long before I could see Adeline's backside, then she became a blob of grey in the distance, and soon I could not see her at all.

            "You lazy Chocobo!" I yelled. "Why won't you run?"

            I cursed him some more, and without missing a beat (and almost reading my mind) Bo came to a screeching halt. I flew off, and hit a tree, while he stood his ground. The picnic basket finally fell after being hurled so high into the air, and landed over my head.

            I stood up, and staggered over to Bo. He warked angrily. I went to climb on his saddle, scolding him the whole time, but he whipped around and kicked me! I flew back, landed, and hit my head on a rock. My vision began to fade, and my eyelids fluttered a few times before I was knocked out cold.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

            I quickly left Locke in my dust as Adeline ran faster. I knew I would win, but Bo seemed to not even listen to Locke, and I could hear Bo being yelled at by Locke. Adeline ran like the wind, and we came to the entrance to a dense forest. I looked back, and no longer saw Locke. I decided to wait for Locke to get there so I could brag to him, and let Adeline rest for a little while. 

            I tied Adeline up near a stream, using some rope that was already around the tree. I sat on a log that was at the edge of the forest, and waited for Locke to show up. After a few minutes, I became bored, and began to inspect the dark forest, leaving Adeline near the stream.

            I entered the forest and Adeline warked worryingly for me. I came back and told her that I would be right back, and reentered the forest. The forest was indeed dark, and I was tripping over branches and vines that were in the way. I took out my sword, and cut a branch off. I concentrated on it, and soon the branch was ablaze. 

            I didn't recall passing a forest on the way to Sabin's, but I thought little of it. The tall trees cast gloomy shadows around me as I walked, and their tops blocked out the stars and moon. I used my sword to cut the vines which hung off of the trees and were in my way.

            Then, I heard footsteps behind me, and I quickened my pace. I started to loop around to where Adeline was, but the steps continued to follow me. Soon, I was running, and as I ran, I concentrated on casting a spell. Almost immediately, I was running extremely fast; my speed enhanced by my haste spell. 

            It still wasn't enough, as the footsteps continued to pursue me! I sprinted away as fast as I could (throwing my torch and sword down in the process), and I heard the footsteps of my pursuer fade away. I stopped, and leaned against a tree for support. My breath took awhile to calm down, but my heart was still racing. I tried to look around, but without my light, I could only see darkness. I found a branch, but I was too tired to light it.

            I sat and leaned against a tree to take a nap, and hardly noticed the poignant smell of honeysuckle as I drifted to sleep…

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

            I came to, but my head was throbbing and sticky with blood. I stood up, and searched the landscape. It was almost dawn, and the stars were fading from the sky. The bright sun rose above the mountains, and the birds began to chirp. 

            I began walking home and nearly tripped over Bo who was sleeping near a stream. I woke him up, and received several peck marks for doing so. I hopped on him, and we began our journey home…

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

            _It is all coming together for me… I wasn't expecting another to enter my web, but it is all for the better, and soon, I do believe that I shall make my presence known. They will pay for imprisoning my master, and when I have enough power, I will release him, and let him deal with them. But for now, I need more magical power, and I know where to find all the magic I need…_


	4. The Storm Draws Nearer

_ It's been far too long since I updated this thing. I really have to do it more often, but school forces me to not work on it.

Anyway…. Time for a Disclaimer!!!! We all love this part! Disclaim I don't own any part of the Nintendo industry, Squaresoft, or characters from either of their games. /disclaimer 

Chapter 4 – The Storm Draws Nearer

            I was in a brawl against one of the toughest guys ever. Chupon was there, getting ready to sneeze, but I gave him a blitz he'll never forget. He keeled over, almost dead, but rose and lunged forward. His girth was on his side, and I was knocked over. The crowd cheered. I got up, wiped the blood from my lip, and raced toward him. I jumped in the air, and kicked his face in as hard as I could. He let out a scream like I've never heard…

            "Grr… Stupid girl… I oughta lock you up somewhere!"

            "Sorry Sabin, but it's important this time!"

            "When is it ever important?!"

            "It's always important!"

            "Fine! If I deem it worthy, I might not make you chop wood today."

            "Oh Sabin!" She cried. "I don't know what to do. I had this really bad dream that Terra and Celes were being held captive by something, and it was scary, and I woke up, and I started screaming, and you woke up, and you screamed at me!!!!"

            Obviously I couldn't care less about her bad dream, and what I said summed that up pretty nicely… "So?"

            "So?!? Is that all you can say? Our friends are being hurt, or worse!"

            "No they're not! They're just fine."

            "NO THEY'RE NOT!! AND I'M GONNA GO FIND THEM!!!!"

            She screamed at me while she left. I waited until she left, and screamed out behind her "IT'LL BE NICE TO HAVE SOME PEACE AND QUIET AROUND HERE FOR A CHANGE!!!" 

            She didn't respond and kept going. I went back to sleep, happy for the moment of peace.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

            "Oh that Sabin! He makes me so angry! If he wasn't bigger, I'd…"

            "You'd what?"

            I whirled around at the voice. 

            "Locke! What're you doing here?! Shouldn't you be back at your home with Celes?"

            "I would like to be there, but on the way there, Celes and I had a race, but I fell behind. Then my memory draws a blank. I awoke in a field, my head covered in blood. I went home thinking I fell off Bo, but Celes wasn't there. So I thought maybe she circled around back to your place to think I could win, but she didn't come home. So I was coming back to your place to see if she got lost and ended up back at your place."

            "She isn't back at our place. I had this bad dream that both she and Terra were captured by something mean and scary. So I came to look for them."

            "And Sabin decided you could do that alone?"

            "No! That stupid jerk didn't believe me, so I left him behind."

            "That wasn't very smart of either of you. I'll take you home. Then I'll go looking for them. After all, I am the Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire!"

            "Whatever you say, thief…"

            "I have half a mind to leave you here!" A cold wind blew, and the horizon blacked up with storm clouds. "But I'm not gonna make you walk back alone in this storm."

            "I'm not a little kid!"  
            "Uh huh. What ever. Come on. Let's go!"

            We headed back in the direction of Sabin's. But the wind blew harder, and soon the storm was upon us. The rain poured like tiny waterfalls, and the thunder boomed with the fury of the gods themselves. And we were traveling in it. I tapped Relm on the shoulder.

            "Don't you know any magic that could get us there faster? Haste, Quick, Teleport, anything?!"

            "I did, but I haven't used it in so long, I don't know if I can still do it. What about you? Don't you know any magic?"

            "No, for the same reason you don't know yours."  
            "Then I guess we walk."

            And so we did.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

            The storm cracked and boomed outside, but I barely heard it. My house was sturdily built, and I heard little of the storm. I was worried about Relm. She left hours ago, and hasn't returned. _She's fine. She was so angry at you, she's teaching you a lesson about your temper, and she probably went to Celes's and Locke's for the night_. I reassured myself with this and nodded off to sleep. 

            The door crashed open, and Locke stood there, drenched in rain, and looking very frightened. 

            "Locke, what's up? I didn't expect you. I don't have any extra food prepared. Relm left hours ago to do something."

            "She was looking for Celes and Terra."

            "Come in. Take a load off. So she told you about her dream, eh?"

            "Yeah."

            "And do you think she's outta her mind? Here, I have some clothes you can wear while those dry."

            "Oh, thanks. Actually, she's quite right about Celes. I can't find her anywhere."

            I turned around while he dressed in drier clothes. "She's probably playing with your head!"

            "I found her Chocobo sleeping in our stable, but Celes was nowhere to be found."

            "I still think she's playing a game with you." I shrugged. "Well, where's Relm? Didn't you bring her home? I bet she's freezing to death in this storm."

            "I was bringing her home, but the storm came up. We were trapped in it. We came to a fork in the road, and neither of us remembered which was to go."

            "Stupid girl. I told her. It's the left fork."

            "Well she didn't remember. So we split up and agreed to meet back at the fork in an hour. I came back and waited about two hours for her to return, but she didn't. I think she got lost in that dense forest she headed into."

            "There're no forests on my mountain."

            "There was tonight."

            I rubbed my face in my hands. "Alright, I've thought this through. We'll sleep tonight, and wait for the storm to clear. Then tomorrow, we'll search for the girls."

            "I think we should look tonight."

            "Look, if we get lost, what good are we. Far better we rest up, so we can save them tomorrow."

            "Well, alright."

            "We'll search tomorrow then."

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

_            Ahh… Most excellent. This one will be a perfect addition to my collection. Then I can reawake my master!_****


End file.
